Refrigerator



A. S. OLIVER.

REFRIGERATOH.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. I3, 1918 1,870,907, Patented Mar. 8,1921.

l y f l -I' yf /77 /3 /g /3 /3 f/@ j 9 Q00 Q'I'v/ .6 Q*O jf @ya/fmcwmwer UNITED STATES ALFRED S. OLIVER, 0F MEDICAL LAKE, WASHINGTON.

REFRIGERATOR.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 8, 1921.

Application led November 13, 1918. Serial No. 262,329.

To allfwhom 'it 'may concern Be it known that I, ALFRED S. OLIVER, acitizen of the United States, residing at Medical Lake, in the county ofSpokane and State of Washington, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Refrigerators, of which the following is aspecification.

The present invention relates to an improved refrigerator of the icecooled type having end ice boxes and intermediate food compartment. Therefrigerator is specially constructed and adapted for use in connectionwith vehicles and is designed for attachment to the footboard at theside of an automobile or other vehicle. The invention contemplates theutilization of the movement of the automobile while under way, to createa circulation of air through the food compartment and to attain thiscirculation of the air by the agitation caused to the water from themelted ice in the ice box or tank.

The novelty7 of the invention resides in the novel combination andarrangement of parts of the refrigerator whereby the device is caused toperform the functions of an eficient refrigerator of this character aswill be pointed out in ther specification and claims appended.

In the accompanying drawings one complete example of the physicalembodiment of the invention is illustrated, as actually used on anautomobile, and this exemplification shows the invention constructedaccordipg to the best mode so far devised for the practical applicationof the principles of the invention.

Figure 1 is a longitudinal sectional view through the casing of therefrigerator and the food compartment.

Fig. 2 is a transverse sectional view of the refrigerator upon the line2-2 of Fig. 1, showing it attached to the foot board at the side of anautomobile.

Fig. 3 is a detail perspective view of one of the air valves to the foodcompartment, which valve is actuated through a float due to the movementof the water level in the ice box.

In the preferred embodiment of the invention as illustrated in thedrawings, the casing or` chest l is constructed of wood or othersuitable material, and preferably is rectangular in shape and of theproper dimensions, being provided with a lid or cover 2 and lockingdevices therefor indicated at 3, while at the ends the handles H areprovided for convenience in carrying.

As exemplified in the drawings the refrigerator is attached to the footboard l at the side of an automobile, the dust guard 5'for one of thewheels being illustrated to give an understanding of the position of therefrigerator, but it will be understood of course that the refrigeratormay be carried at any other suitable place on the automobile.

The refrigerator is firmly attached tothe foot board of the automobileor car by means of the metallic fastening clips or clamps 6 carried bythe chest l, and the set screws or clamp screws 7 are utilized to holdthe refrigerator 1n place, the screws engaging up against the undersideof the foot board as shown best in Fig. 2.

The casing or chest is lined as at 8 with an insulating material, andits inner metallic wall 7 is of course water tight and air tight, andwithin the casing is positioned a food compartment or metallic tank Aspaced from the ends of the casing sufficiently to form the end iceboxes 9 and 10 respectively, and elevated from the bottom of the casingsufiiciently to form a communicating passage 11 between the two end icechambers 9 and 10.

Laterally, the tank A forming the food compartment, the side walls ofthe tank being formed by the wall 7 of the casing, extends to the wallsofthe casing and is attached to the walls as a support, and the entireupper, open end or top of the food coinpartment is closed by an airtight cover 12 securely fastened down by means of the nuts 13 and screws13', and similar covers 9 and 10 are provided for the ice chambers atthe ends of the casing.

In the upper end walls of the compartment A are provided port holes 14establishing communication between the interior of the compartment andthe two end ice chambers. A suitable number of these port holes areprovided in the end walls and each port hole is provided with a pivotedvalve or closure 15 in the form of a flat disk secured on the pivot orhinge bar 16 that is rotatable in the cleats 17 by means of which thevalve is supported at the outside face of the compartment ends. A leverarm 18 is exllO tended at right angles to the pivot bar 16 and thebuoyant float 19 on the end of the arm moves in close proximity to theside walls of the chest in the ice chambers.

The construction and operation of the de vice thus described andillustrated are so sim lified that the action of the parts will' rea ilbe understood by one skilled in the art. ith the cakes of ice in theirrespective chambers, and before any water accumulates in'thebottom ofthe casing, the port holes are held open by the floats 19 which act asWei hts, and the circulation of air is provided ger through the foodcompartment.

After the ice cakes have melted somewhat and water accumulates in thebottom of the casing, the water is caused to move from end to end of therefrigerator as the automobile changes position due to dil'lerences ingrade. Thus, if the automobile is moving to the right in Fig. 1 and isgoing downgrade, the right end of the casing will be lower than the leftend and consequently the water will iiow to the right end driving theair ahead of it and causing the air to pass through the port hole at theright end of the compartment A and out through the left end port hole,the water thus displacing the air as the former flows back and forth.The valves 15 of course remain open unless the water level rises highenough to lift the float 19 and in which case, the rising of the floatwill close the port hole, thus preventing ingress of Water to the foodcom artment.

hen the refrigerator is detached from lthe automobile it may stand uponthe clamp screws 7 and special lugs 2O on the yfastening clips 6, assupports.

What is claimed herein 1. A portable. refrigerator comprising a closedcasing having an intermediate water tight food compartment thereinspaced from the ends and elevated romthe bottom of the casing to formend iee chambers and a bottom passageway to permit movement of water,and said'compartment having cold air port holes in its end Walls andgravity actuated closures for said port holes as described. i

2. Ak portable refrigerator comprising a closed casing with a receptacletherein forming a closed water tight compartment for food, saidreceptacle filling the casing in one direction and spaced from the vendsof the casing to form ice chambers inthe other direction and alsoelevated from the bottom of the casing to provide a passageway betweensaid chambers for movement of water to create circulation of air, andsaid ALFRED S. OLIVER.

